Samsung Omnia HD review | Introduction

Samsung Omnia HD review

H
igh resolution digital cameras are no longer an exception on today's mobile phones. It started a few years ago with an integrated VGA camera, which we thought to be very innovative at the time. Currently, however, there are phones on the market featuring an 8.0 or even 12.0 Megapixel camera. Yet the difference in quality does not go unnoticed. Whereas all the attention seems to go to the snapshot camera, the video capture function seems to have been pushed into the background a little bit. However, the Samsung HD now changes this, and actually emphasizes the video function, while the HD in the name refers to High Definition video quality. High definition video comes in several formats, namely 720p (1280x720) and 1080p/1080i (1920x1080). The latest version is Full HD, which features the maximum resolution. This high-quality video does require more storage capacity, hence the Blu-Ray disk. The Samsung i8910 is able to capture HD videos with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. A 40-second movie requires approx. 50MB. This way, you don't just own a camera, but also a genuine camcorder.

Samsung Omnia HD i8910 smartphone review

Samsung Omnia HD smartphone test

First impression of the Samsung i8910 HD

Samsung has displayed the main features of the Samsung Omnia HD on its package. It does not only show the AMOLED screen and the HD recording & playback functionalities, but also a large amount of icons on the side telling you all about this phone in just one glance. Upon removing the cover, we get to a simple, square carbon-look package. The packaging naturally contains the Samsung i8910 HD, including the standard accessories which are: a charger, a stereo headset, a micro-USB cable, user manuals and a small software CD for this Samsung smartphone. The packaging seems just a tad too plain for this mobile phone, since it is not exactly the cheapest phone and the packaging does not really bring this across. The Samsung Omnia HD handset itself has quite a stylish appearance. It is big, but there's certainly nothing wrong with its design, featuring a silver line on the front and a shiny black back. Although we have to admit it is all pretty scratch-prone.

Samsung HD review

Samsung Omnia HD phone menu

The volume keys, the screen lock/unlock button and the camera shutter are all located on the side of the Samsung Omnia HD smartphone. The lock/unlock button unlocks the screen in order to enter the main screen. The latter contains the famous Samsung Widgets. Widgets are shortcuts to the many applications that are found in a scroll-down list on the main screen. If you want to relocate a Widget, all you have to do is slide it from the list to the main screen. Below the screen, we find shortcuts for the keypad, contacts, messages and main menu. You can also slide from right to left on the main menu, next to the menu key below the main screen to enter the menu. The menu, consisting of twelve icons, guides you to the various applications. The menu proves flawless, running very smoothly, also thanks to the sensitive AMOLED touchscreen that hardly requires any touching. Opening applications also happens effortlessly.